Current energy management systems take a passive role to residential energy management. For example, consumers lack energy awareness and are typically left with having to evaluate a monthly bill to determine how much energy was consumed. Additionally, consumers lack transparency into what the leading causes of energy consumption are at their residences. Some utility companies are providing energy display only technologies that will allow consumers to see what the current price of energy may be. However, such displays take a passive role to conservation, and leaving it up to the consumer to manually curtail their use.
In certain regions, information infrastructure is lacking to enable utility companies and customers to access real-time energy consumption. For example, some regions have smart meters that are capable of measuring and reporting consumption data. However, there is a lack of communication and analytical infrastructure to allow utility companies to analyze future demand and schedule energy production. For example, some utilities are providing demand response systems that react to load levels, and force curtailment on residential, industrial, and commercial customers. Such programs have not been well received as they typically inconvenience the end user.
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